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mike_c

(36,214 posts)
Sat Mar 21, 2020, 06:02 PM Mar 2020

three new insect images

I haven't shared any of these for a couple of months because I was in Arizona but the specimens are in California, but I really missed getting back into the lab and took the first opportunity when I got back into town. Now the university is shutting down for the semester. I'm in my mid-sixties so I'm banned from campus anyway, but most faculty are to work from home until the end of spring semester in mid-May. So I got into the lab one day last week, set up my gear and took these three photos, and then brought most of my equipment back home. The original, full resolution images are at https://mcamann.smugmug.com/Insect-macro-photography

This is Eupeodes lapponicus, a common, widely distributed syrphid hover fly.




This is an asilid robber fly, Mallophora fautrix, the southern bee killer.




Finally, this last one is a small dung beetle about the size of my little finger nail, Onthophagus taurus. This specimen is either an adult female or a hornless male.



I hope you enjoy them! It's unlikely I'll be able to photograph any more until the COVID-19 lock down restrictions are eased.

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Siwsan

(26,177 posts)
1. It was fascinating to watch Dung Beetles on the SafariLive drives
Sat Mar 21, 2020, 06:07 PM
Mar 2020

The guides won't even drive over elephant dung, in case it contains some beetles. They'd focus the camera on them building and rolling those dung balls, all OVER the place.

Unfortunately, this world crisis has caused their continuing funding hopes to dry up, and the twice daily internet broadcast of the safari drives will end next week. Well, for now, anyway.

mike_c

(36,214 posts)
2. I have some beautiful metallic ones I've been waiting to shoot.
Sat Mar 21, 2020, 06:14 PM
Mar 2020

Probably not for a couple of months. The irony is that I'm probably safer in the lab than I am at home. No one set foot in it while I was out of town, so I am the only person who's breathed in there since Christmas. With classes cancelled no one will be in the halls or other adjacent spaces either.

Siwsan

(26,177 posts)
3. I was blown away by how many different kinds of dung beetles there are!
Sat Mar 21, 2020, 06:17 PM
Mar 2020

Honestly, that Safari show was (well, still is, for now) an wonderfully eye opening and educational show to watch.

It's been running for about 20 years so hopefully when thing settle down, it will be back.

CaliforniaPeggy

(149,297 posts)
4. These are terrific images, my dear mike_c!
Sat Mar 21, 2020, 07:23 PM
Mar 2020

Thank you so much for posting them.

I love the transparent wings on the hover fly. Stunning detail too.

The southern bee killer almost looks like a bee, with the fuzzy body. Wonderful!

The dung beetle is amazing for being so tiny yet with incredible details. How can something so small be so detailed?

Glad you had the chance to bring us these images.

mike_c

(36,214 posts)
7. I need to start adding scale bars.
Sat Mar 21, 2020, 11:02 PM
Mar 2020

The syrphid fly and the dung beetle are literally about the size of my small finger nail. The asilid fly is bigger, maybe three or four times that long, so they're not all shot at the same scale. I try to use a fairly consistent portion of the frame regardless of the actual specimen size so all the images are scaled to fit.

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